


Stars in Our Lives

by witchyweeb



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Agender Character, Dissociation, Fluff, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Nonbinary Character, One Shot, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Time isn't real, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Transgender Day of Remembrance, neurodivergent character, vent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-02-04 20:49:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12779235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchyweeb/pseuds/witchyweeb
Summary: It's trans day of remembrance, keith and pidge cope with a little help from their friends - in six parts.





	Stars in Our Lives

It’s hard to tell time in the swirling depths of space, surrounded by unfamiliar terms and languages. It’s even harder when you’re busy and bustling with an intergalactic war. The paladins always assumed there was some way to keep track of earth dates, definitely if they enlisted the help of Pidge, but there seemed to be a silent agreement - nobody really wanted to know. They had no idea how long they’d been on their journey, but it felt simultaneously both achingly long and as if it had all happened in one speeding flurry of endless action. Lance was the first one to break. 

He’d approached Pidge in their room one night, fidgeting anxiously and chewing on the inside of his mouth. They stared at him with an eyebrow quirked for a few tics before he finally spilled it in a rush, “Okay, I totally get if you don’t want to and you definitely don’t have to and even if you do it you can like, not look and not know, but it’s killing me wondering how much time has passed so could you please just maybe figure out an Earth calendar for me?” 

They had simply snorted and tapped something on their data pad, “I did that ages ago. Here.” 

They passed it to him and he took in the information, stomach tied up in knots. It was October. The fourth, to be exact. It had been early August when they left. The information didn’t make him feel any better about the situation, about longing for his family and brooding over what they must think happened to him, but at least it answered some questions. He could sleep a little easier that night. 

Hunk asked next, and then Shiro. Coran was fascinated with learning about their dates and celebratory days so eventually Lance sat down with the youngest member of their team and made a calendar. It was put up in the kitchen, so anyone who wanted to look could, but anyone who didn’t could ignore it. 

Keith never said anything about it, but he did start checking the date every now and then, eyebrows furrowing almost imperceptibly. 

+

He was usually the first to get up in the day, sometimes beaten by Shiro depending on how bad the nightmares had been. So he was surprised when he found Pidge in the kitchen early one morning. They were staring down at the counter where the calendar had been set, unmoving, a distant look in their eyes. 

“Pidge?” he tried tentatively. 

They were quiet for a moment before sighing and turning around. They didn’t meet his gaze, just crossed their arms over their chest, looking almost as if they were trying to hug themself. 

“It’s November 20th,” they finally admitted. 

At first Keith just frowned in confusion, “So?” But then it hit him and he seemed to deflate in on himself, “Oh.” 

Pidge huffed in an almost laugh, but it was too hollow, “Yeah...” 

They stood there for a while, no sound but their soft breaths and faint shuffling as they both tried to figure out where to go from there. 

Keith opened his mouth to speak when a loud yawn sounded behind them and Lance slouched into the room, bath robe wrapped around him and lion slippers padding across the floor. 

“Hey Pidgey, Mullet,” he greeted them as he made his way to the odd Altean coffee pot. It tasted nothing like that on Earth, but it definitely packed a punch. 

Normally Pidge would complain about the name and Keith might throw in a returned insult, but the two remained quiet. Lance paused and pursed his lips, looking between them, “Uh, you guys okay? Am I interrupting something?” 

That seemed to break Keith out of his daze and he shook his head, “Nothing. I’m gonna hit the training deck.” 

Before anyone could speak he was out of the room. Lance blinked in confusion, but he knew when to give Keith space so he focused on Pidge. They didn’t always like to talk about what was bothering them and on the rare chance they did, they would seek Lance out. So he decided not to push and instead asked, “Want some coffee? I think Hunk is gonna try to make pancakes.” 

They perked up a little at that and nodded, “Sure. Thanks.” 

The pair sat at the table with their mugs and Lance filled the silence with chatter, managing to get a laugh or snort out of the other paladin a few times. 

True to his word, when Hunk woke up he started on the food. It was hard to find ingredients to work with, but he was a genius with the stuff and dedicated himself to finding new recipes. He insisted eating nothing but food goo would be a travesty. 

He was also a natural with empathy and knew Pidge well enough to notice something was up, so he made their pancakes into silly shapes and teased at Lance to create soft banter around the room. 

“Lance, bud, you can quit with the fake love stories. Keith isn’t here,” he wiggled his eyebrows at him and the blue paladin turned bright red. 

Pidge chuckled as they watched him splutter and try to figure out a come back. Eventually he just huffed and turned away, but it was just an act as the second he turned back around he had whatever the weird space flour was in his hands and lightly slapped it onto Hunk’s cheeks. 

The larger boy looked at him, eyes wide and face powdered white, “Is this your way of telling me you’d like me more if I was white?” 

Pidge barked a laugh and nearly fell out of their chair as Lance rolled his eyes, “Yes, Hunk, my best friend, I would definitely like you more if you were just as white as me. Oh, wait, except I’m not.” 

“Now you are,” Hunk smirked as he returned the attack. 

Lance yelped and Pidge doubled over, cackling. 

It was then that Shiro walked into the room, hair wet from a shower, and stopped short when he spotted them all. His voice was exasperated, but fond, “You know what? I don’t even want to know.” 

This sent the other three into hysterics and Lance glanced at Pidge, worry settling down as he saw the grin on their face. One down, one to go. 

+

After breakfast Lance got dressed and headed for the training deck in search of Keith. He was there, which came as no surprise, but he wasn’t fighting the gladiators or warming up or anything. He had his back to him and he was just standing there, almost looking lifeless if it weren’t for the movement of his shoulders as he breathed.

His hair was pulled back into a little ponytail, some strands sticking to his face with sweat. He was wearing a t shirt about two times too big that Lance figured must be Shiro’s. His usual cargo pants hugged his body and combat boots adorned his feet. He looked ready for a fight, as always. His bayard was dangling in his grip loosely. 

The boy didn’t notice Lance’s entrance, clearly too caught up in whatever was going on in his head. Anxiety welled within Lance, but he took a deep breath to steady himself. Stepping closer, he spoke gently, “Keith? Buddy? You okay?” 

There was no response. He frowned and walked around to look at his face. Keith was staring down at the ground, head tipped and bangs hanging in his face. 

Lance swallowed nervously, “Okay, I’m gonna take your hand, okay? You can say no or take it back if you want. I won’t hold tight.” 

Still no reply so he reached out and carefully took Keith’s hand in his own, rubbing his thumb over the back of it soothingly, “Hey, man, you’re okay. We’re in the training deck in the castle. It’s just you and me. Can you come back to me, babe?” 

Slowly Keith lifted his head, meeting Lance’s eyes and the blue paladin sighed in relief, “Okay. That’s good. Now, can you tell me five things you see around the room?” 

+

After a bit of coaxing Keith seemed to come back to himself, but his gaze still looked a little fuzzy. They stood in silence for a while before he was comfortable to speak, “I... don’t want to be here anymore.” 

“Okay,” Lance nodded, still rubbing his hand, “Do you wanna go back to your room?” 

Keith shook his head and Lance bit his lip in thought, “Okay... the common room?” 

A few tics passed and then he nodded. Lance smiled weakly and took his hand, squeezing it tight as he started to lead him. 

Pidge was already there, sitting on the floor, legs crossed as they tinkered with something and chatted with Hunk, who was seated on one of the long white couches. They looked up when they entered and Pidge’s eyes softened as Hunk looked almost as confused and worried as Lance. 

“Hey, Keith,” Pidge smiled, “You look like shit.” 

That got a weak snort from Keith and Lance beamed, squeezing his hand again, “Do you wanna lie down for a bit? We can put on a movie, or you can watch me kick ass at this racing game.” 

Keith just nodded again and sat down a couple feet from Hunk. Lance grabbed a blanket off the back of it and settled it around Keith, wrapping him up lightly. Then he turned on the game, passed Hunk a controller, and sat down between them to start the race. 

Lance threw trash talk and settled into a conversation with his best friend, keeping the atmosphere soft and creating background noise while Keith started to put himself back together. They stayed like that for a while, but then the boy shifted to lay on the couch with his head in Lance’s lap and the Cuban didn’t hesitate to run his fingers through his hair in between games. 

Slowly Keith began joining the conversation, giving short, quiet statements every once in a while until eventually he was laughing with Hunk and picking at Lance’s technique. 

“How can you be such a good pilot and be so terrible at this game?” he chuckled. 

Lance smirked, “What did you just say?” 

A blush quickly settled over Keith’s face and he clamped his mouth shut, “Nothing.” 

“Nuh uh,” Lance dropped his controller to squeeze Keith’s cheeks, “You said I’m a good pilot! You paid me a compliment, Keith!” 

Suddenly he took on a serious tone, “Did it hurt? Do you need an ice pack?” 

Keith rolled his eyes and huffed, giving Lance the finger, which only served to make him laugh more, “Oh my god, you’re so cute!” 

Keith’s flush grew and he sat up away from him, “You’re the worst.” 

“Nooo,” Lance whined, reaching to wrap his arms around his middle, “Don’t leave me! It was a compliment!” 

“Can’t you keep your hands to yourself for five seconds?” Keith snorted. 

“Nope,” Lance hummed and nuzzled Keith’s neck, “Gotta have my hands on you at all times, Keithy boy.” 

Keith made an annoyed groaning sound, but settled into Lance’s hold nonetheless. 

There was a gagging noise from Pidge, “You’re both disgusting.” 

Lance just grinned and held Keith tighter as the rad paladin looked down at them, dramatically mouthing, “Help me!” 

Hunk chuckled, “No way, man. You’re stuck now. Lance is a serious cuddle bug.” 

Keith made a show of begrudgingly accepting his fate, but he smiled to himself as he snuggled a little closer. Lance kissed the top of his head and picked his controller back up. 

+

Shiro joined them shortly after and even Coran and Allura showed up to watch. The banter was light and comforting. When the noise died down to a lull Keith finally found the courage to speak, “It’s November 20th. Transgender day of remembrance.” 

Lance’s arms tightened around him and the room was silent for a few tics before Shiro spoke up, “Keith.. Pidge.. I can’t imagine how this day must feel for you. But we’re glad you’re here and we will always support you.” 

Hunk was next, “Oh, man.. I love you guys. I’m so sorry. I hope a day comes when this day is all about the past, free of any fear for the future.” 

Lance squeezed Keith and nudged Pidge with his foot gently, “We’ve got your backs. Whatever you need - we’re here.” 

“I agree wholeheartedly, but I must admit I’m curious as to what this day is. What are we remembering?” Coran wondered. Allura hummed in agreement. 

Everyone looked a little uncomfortable, unsure how to answer, but unsurprisingly Pidge took it in stride, “You know how technically according to Earth biology me and Keith are ‘female’ but I’m actually agender and Keith is a boy? Well, that’s being transgender. It means we don’t identify with the sex we were assigned at birth.” 

“The fight for trans rights and acceptance is still going on,” Keith added, “It can get pretty ugly. The hatred for trans folx is.. rampant. A lot of people have been murdered. Trans women of color especially. Trans day of remembrance is a day we set aside to mourn the trans lives we’ve lost and show our strength for the future.” 

Silence fell over them again, but then Allura reached out to squeeze Keith and Pidge’s shoulders, “You are both incredible warriors and survivors. You have my deepest condolences for what you’ve lost. I am so proud of you both.” 

Coran smiled, “You’re our paladins! You are family and we will always stand by you! You have my condolences as well. I regret that your people can be so cruel...” 

Pidge had tears in their eyes, but they smiled back at their friends, grateful and loving. And Keith kept his gaze down, but his voice was clear with intention when he said, “Thank you.” 

Lance hugged him tight once more and stood, “Coran, could you help me with something?” 

Everyone eyed Lance in confusion, but Coran agreed easily and they left the room. 

+

A short while later Coran came back, struggling to hide a smile, “Lance has something he’d like to show you all.” 

They all shared suspicious glances, but came anyway, always trusting their friends. The Altean lead them to the control room, where upon sight Pidge gasped and Keith bit his lip hard to hold back tears. 

Earth’s solar system was projected before them, stars and their constellations shining brightly. The lighting was dimmed and a row of candles were set on the podium in front of them. Keith briefly wondered where the hell he’d found those. Lance stood to the side of it and smiled nervously when he saw them, “I know it’s probably nothing like back home and I’ve never really done this before, but I wanted to honor the friends you’ve lost somehow. I figured a candle light vigil would be okay?” 

He was clearly anxious for approval, worried he hadn’t done the right thing. Keith hated when he looked at him like that. Like Lance thought at any moment he could slip up and lose them. So he strode forward and pulled him into a hug, burying his face in his neck. 

“It’s perfect,” Pidge breathed, and then they ran at them to join the hug. 

Hunk shouted, “Group hug!” and they were suddenly barreled over by three more bodies. 

Laughter chorused around them and nobody mentioned the redness around Keith’s eyes or the tears stained on Pidge’s cheeks when they all pulled back. 

The rest of the night was spent sitting around the control deck, staring at the stars and sharing quiet stories of the past. Pidge laid with their head in Keith’s lap and Lance sat next to them, fingers intertwined with the other boy’s. Hunk had Pidge’s feet in his lap and Shiro was leaning against him. Allura and Coran flanked the group on either side. 

The room slowly fell quiet with their soft, even breaths as each paladin fell asleep. Allura followed quickly and Coran was left to tuck blankets around the group as well as blow out the candles. He smiled fondly as he blew out the last one. And only the light of the stars were left. 

“They’re all up there,” Lance’s voice surprised him and when he looked the boy was staring up, Keith also awake and following his gaze. 

“Each and every one of you are stars, from beginning to end. You’re beautiful and resilient and shining so bright it scares others. I’m sorry you’ve lost so much.” 

Keith smiled, eyes wet, and leaned up to kiss his cheek. They startled apart when they heard a gagging noise again and met Pidge’s eyes, their youngest friend grinning under the moon light. 

“How dare!” Lance hissed playfully. 

“Shush,” Shiro’s voice was rough and gravelly with sleep, “Shush your little faces and go to sleep.” 

Keith stifled a laugh in Lance’s stomach, but the others’ giggles echoed around the room. 

“I hate you guys,” Shiro grumbled, but that only made them laugh harder.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm alone on tdor so this is how i cope because i'm a garbage person. this really wasn't supposed to end up klance but it got away from me.


End file.
